Adoptive Parents of Color at Pact Family Camp

Much of Pact’s year-round work focuses on adoptive parents of color and their children because in the world of adoption they remain an underserved constituency. We are very intentional in our efforts to make sure that Pact Family Camp, like all the work Pact does, serves the needs of parents of color and their children.

Special programming for parents of color

Pact Family Camp includes daily sessions and optional spaces exclusively for adoptive parents of color, safe spaces where you can focus more on adoption and on racial identity issues without the addition of white adoptive parents perspective. You will join a supportive community of people of color who share your adoptive parenting experience. While we invite all campers to connect across racial lines, we make clear that you are not expected to be a teacher or mentor for white parents at camp. This is your time!

The camp community

We expect 35% of the families in attendance at Camp West and 20-25% at Camp East will include at least one adoptive parent of color; the percentage of adoptive parents of color who attend has been increasing each year. The majority of the camp speakers, workshop leaders, and staff (including the counselors who spend the day with your children) are people of color, many of them adopted or foster care alumni.

About 65-75% of the parents who come to Pact Family Camp have adopted transracially; most of these parents are white. For these parents, we offer programming on parenting across racial lines, and “brave spaces” in which to explore concepts of racial identity, including white identity. We place great value on creating opportunities for everyone to interact as a multiracial community.

We recognize that topics of oppression, race, and culture are often sensitive, volatile subjects. Of course, we invite people to reach across racial lines as they choose, but we want to acknowledge the power dynamics that can happen when adoptive parents of color are not in the majority. At Pact Family Camp, we emphatically believe that it is not the “job” of people in the minority to help those from the majority process their feelings about race, adoption, gender, sexual orientation, etc.

Special Financial Incentives

Adoptive parents of color and their families are underserved in adoption. Pact is working to change this. Each year we celebrate the growing community of adoptive families of color who are choosing to spend a week together at Pact Family Camp. As part of our ongoing effort to grow this community, we offer a $250 family discount to the first 35 adoptive families of color who register; you may also qualify for the $250 discount offered to the first 30 first-time Campers who register at each Camp.

Additional need-based scholarships are also available (pending qualification). Click here for the scholarship application.

What Adoptive Parents of Color Say About Their Experience at Pact Family Camp

“Being in so many people of color-only spaces was so refreshing. For me exploring the importance of attachment as an ongoing issue, even with my teen, was really helpful.”

—African American single mom

“Seeing our children respond to Pact Camp as if they are coming to their true home is such a relief for all of us. We all come year after year, just to refresh and renew.”

—Latino adoptive couple

“The best thing about Pact Camp for me was watching my son 'make a date' for the first time – he was so proud! For myself, I learned how to ask better questions of schools and teachers to ensure that he does not fall victim to the pipeline.”

—African American adoptive father

“Making connections with other families that are so similar to ours was amazing. My daughter is finding her voice!”

—Chinese adoptive father

“Hearing from birth parents and having them present at Camp was amazing. I have been waiting to have some of these conversations for ten years. We will definitely be back.”